Chile bids for membership in IEA

PARIS, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Membership for Chile in the IEA will help diversify and secure the country's energy sector, said IEA Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka.

Chile launched formal discussions to come a member of the International Energy Agency. Ricardo Raineri, the country's energy minister, said in a statement that his government was committed to becoming the first Latin American country to join the agency.

"It is also an opportunity to debate and promote, together with other countries, the energy policies that the world demands, light and heat at better prices with fewer impacts on the planet," he said from Paris.

Chile became a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development this year. OECD membership is a requirement before joining the IEA.

Tanaka said he welcomed the Chilean effort to take the necessary steps to ensure energy security in Latin America.

"We look forward to working with Chile as it continues to diversify its energy sources and suppliers to enhance energy security, and actively develop both energy efficiency and indigenous energy resources such as renewables," he said in his statement.

The IEA works to broaden the focus on energy security, development and environmental protection.

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